~ Iliadra's POV ~

The grand hall, adorned with tapestries that whispered tales of unity and strength, became the stage for my undeserved fall from grace. King Thorne, the once-Alpha who had ascended the throne, regarded me with eyes clouded by suspicion. Reginald, his advisor, played the role of accuser, while Lady Seraphina, draped in regal attire and harboring resentment, stood beside him.

"Iliadra, you stand accused of attempting to poison our king," declared Reginald, his voice echoing through the hall.

"I would never betray our pack or harm the king," I pleaded, my voice carrying the weight of desperation.

The grand hall, once a sanctuary, now felt like a cage. Accusations hung in the air, thick and stifling.

Reginald, with an air of authority, continued, "Witnesses saw you near the royal kitchen. The evidence speaks for itself."

Lady Seraphina, her eyes glinting with malice, leaned in to whisper bad things into King Thorne's ear. "Your Majesty, she's a threat to our unity. A wolf in sheep's clothing."

"Why would you accuse me of such a crime?" I asked, searching for a flicker of trust in Thorne's conflicted gaze.

Reginald, unmoved, replied, "We must protect the king and the pack. The evidence is damning."

Lady Seraphina's gaze, filled with envious resentment, spoke volumes. "Your Majesty, she's been seeking attention, trying to overshadow your reign."

King Thorne, torn between the loyalty he once felt for me and the accusations now staining my name, addressed me with a heavy heart. "Iliadra, explain yourself. Why were you near the kitchen?"

"I was seeking herbs for a remedy. My intentions were never malicious," I explained, desperation seeping into every word.

Lady Seraphina scoffed, her calculated smirk widening. "A remedy, Your Majesty? How convenient. Perhaps she's concocting a potion to bewitch you."

Reginald's stern gaze bore into me. "The kingdom cannot afford the risk. You must be banished."

King Thorne, grappling with the burden of leadership, sighed heavily. "Iliadra, I trusted you. But the evidence—"

"Someone is pulling the strings, someone who wants to see me fall," I interjected, desperation and frustration fueling my words.

Lady Seraphina, seizing the opportunity, whispered to the king, her words dripping with venom. "Your Majesty, we cannot risk her influence any longer. The pack's loyalty belongs to you alone."

King Thorne, swayed by doubt and insidious whispers, closed his eyes briefly before making a decision. "Iliadra, you leave me no choice. You are banished from the kingdom."

The pronouncement hung in the air, a sentence that echoed through the grand hall. The pack, my pack, regarded me with suspicion and scorn.

As the guards closed in, Lady Seraphina watched with satisfaction, her jealousy hidden behind a mask of concern. "Your Majesty, a wise decision. Our unity is preserved."

Reginald, stern and unforgiving, addressed me. "You are banished, never to return. May the moon guide your path, even in exile."

The guards, carrying out the sentence with cold efficiency, surrounded me. The first blow struck—a harsh strike that resonated through my body. Pain flared, but I refused to let them see me broken.

"Iliadra, you've humiliated us," Thorne said, his voice a mix of sorrow and disappointment.

"Your Majesty, she deceived us all," Lady Seraphina added, her words dripping with false concern.

The beating continued, each blow intensifying the physical and emotional toll. The grand hall, once a symbol of unity, now witnesses the betrayal of my kind.

"Iliadra, you were like a sister to me," Alaric, a once-trusted friend, said with a pained expression as he delivered a blow.

"I trusted you, Iliadra," Mirabelle, another pack member, accused, her eyes filled with anger.

Through the haze of pain, I spoke defiantly. "You're all being manipulated. I won't forget this."

Alaric, torn between loyalty and the pressure of the pack, hesitated. "Iliadra, I'm sorry."

As the beating continued, I stumbled away from the grand hall, battered and bruised. The moon cast eerie shadows on my path. Each step felt like an arduous journey, a reminder of the weight of betrayal I carried. The transformation back to my human self was a painful reminder of the duality defining my existence.

Weak and disoriented, I staggered through the dense forest. The moon, once a silent companion, watched in stoic silence. Approaching the outskirts, the air thickened with tension. The night seemed to hold its breath, mirroring the anticipation of my every step.

The journey became more difficult, with the beating and false accusations taking a toll. Shivering, not just from the cold but from the isolation that surrounded me, I pressed on.

As I neared the kingdom's edge, a group of shadowy figures emerged. Their faces were obscured, and their intentions were hidden in the veil of night. Inaudible whispers hung in the air, a sinister prelude to the nightmare that awaited.

"What's this? A lone wolf?" One sneered, stepping forward.

"Got kicked out by the pack, did you?" another voice taunted.

I tried to speak, but my words were met with mocking laughter.

"Look at her, thinking she can talk back," a third voice chimed in.

The figures closed in, and my pleas met with haunting silence. The first blow struck, a cruel punctuation to my banishment. They descended upon me like vultures, faces masked by shadows, intentions obscured by darkness.

"Why so quiet now, little wolf?" one mocked.

'Let's leave now before we get caught,' one added.

'Yes, let's get our pay asap' a fourth voice affirmed.

The forest, once a refuge, bore witness to my final moments.

Time blurred, consciousness and darkness indistinct. When the beating ceased, I lay on the cold ground, battered and broken. The moon, obscured by clouds, cast a pale glow on my torment's aftermath.

Left unattended, gasping for breath, I tasted blood on my lips. The forest seemed to exhale a mournful sigh, mourning the injustice beneath its ancient canopy.

Silence embraced me. I lay abandoned and defeated, echoes of laughter reverberating in my mind.

In the stillness, a voice cut through. "What happened here?"

"She's just a stray wolf. She got what she deserved," one of the figures retorted.

"We should help her. No one deserves this," a compassionate voice, a stranger, intervened.

"We can't leave her like this. It's inhumane," the compassionate stranger insisted.

The others were dismissive. "She's not our concern." They pulled her hand away and left.

I lay there, gasping for breath and also using the little energy I had left to pull myself to a shade.

Consciousness waned, and a flicker of defiance ignited. "I won't let them break me."

Alone in the silence, I spoke to the indifferent night. "Is this my fate? To die alone, betrayed by my kind?"

The moon, obscured but still present, bore silent witness.

"Are you there, Moon Goddess?" I whispered, my voice a desperate plea in the quiet night.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, a fleeting response that fueled my desperation. "Why did they turn on me? Was my loyalty not enough?" The words tumbled out, each one a cry into the silent abyss.

The moon, silent and distant, offered no solace, its cold glow casting a pallor over my broken form.

"As I face my end, grant me strength," I pleaded to the heavens, my voice carrying the weight of despair.

The forest echoed my despair as I lay there, battered, broken, and abandoned. The indifferent night held its secrets, leaving me to grapple with the loneliness of my final moments.

With each labored breath, the darkness closed in, and in the dialogue with myself, I embraced the inevitable. "Perhaps in death, I'll find the peace denied in life." The words, a fragile whisper in the vast emptiness, hung in the air, mingling with the haunting silence that enveloped me.

Tears mingled with the dirt on my cheeks as I stared into the void, searching for answers that seemed to elude me. The night, unmoved by my plea, unfolded in stoic silence.

The moon, a distant observer, offered no solace. As I confronted the abyss of my solitude, I clung to the fragile hope that in the realm beyond, peace would finally embrace the she-wolf betrayed by her kind.

Closing my eyes, I yielded to the engulfing darkness, whispering to the shadows, "Why did they turn on me? Was my loyalty not enough?"

Everything started turning blurry, a comforting cloak that veiled the agony, offering a respite from the ceaseless torment. "As I face my end, grant me strength," I murmured to the silent abyss.

The forest exhaled a melancholic sigh, and within the final hush, I exhaled what would be my last breath, and everything turned black.